Houston, TX (December 6, 2023) – The Lombardi Award®, presented in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Houston, proudly announces Laiatu Latu as the distinguished winner of the 50th annual Lombardi Award. This prestigious accolade is bestowed annually upon the college football offensive or defensive lineman who exemplifies the character and discipline of NFL Hall of Fame Head Coach Vince Lombardi, showcasing outstanding performance and ability.
In the company of his head coach, Chip Kelly, and family members Kerry, Melenaite, and Aulani, Latu, the formidable UCLA defensive end, proudly accepted the Lombardi Award. Making history, Latu becomes the first recipient from UCLA, joining the ranks of past finalists, including Jerry Robinson (1978), Jonathan Ogden (1995), Dave Ball (2003), and Anthony Barr (2013).
Latu's journey to triumph is marked by resilience, having overcome a career-threatening neck injury. His exceptional combination of speed, athleticism, and technique has propelled him to prominence on the football field. In the regular season, Latu led the nation in tackles for loss per game average (1.8) and ranked fourth nationally in sacks per game average (1.08).
His remarkable statistics include a total of 21.5 tackles for loss, leading the nation, and 13.0 sacks, tied for the fourth-best mark in the country. Latu is now tied for third on UCLA's single-season sacks list, with his 13.0 sacks representing the most since Barr recorded 13.5 in 2012. Over the past two seasons, Latu's 23.5 sacks stands as the most by a UCLA player since Barr posted the same total in 2012 and 2013.
Consistently demonstrating his prowess, Latu recorded at least a half a sack in eight of the 12 games this season. Looking ahead, the Bruins are set to return to the field for the Starco Brands LA Bowl hosted by Gronk on Saturday, Dec. 16, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, with ABC televising the game starting at 4:30 p.m. PT.
The distinguished event, held at the Royal Sonesta in Houston, Texas, featured Honorary Chair Jackie Sherrill, emcee Marc Vandermeer, and former winners Walt Patulski, Tommie Harris, Dat Nguyen, Brian Orakpo, Hugh Green, Warren Sapp, Randy White, Tony Casillas, Chris Zorich, and Orlando Pace.
The Lombardi Award ceremony, where Latu's victory was announced, took place on Wednesday, December 6.